#아리랑

BTS's "ARIRANG" Re-enters Billboard 200 Top 10 at No. 9 — "NORMAL" Returns to the Hot 100

Four months after its release, BTS's fifth studio album "ARIRANG" is still showing staying power on the global charts. The album re-entered the Billboard main album chart's Top 10, and its tracks built their presence anew on charts around the world. No. 9 on the Billboard 200 — the Week's Biggest Gain On the latest chart released by Billboard on July 28 (dated August 1), "ARIRANG" rose to No. 9 on the main album chart, the Billboard 200. That's a jump of a full 17 places from the previous week — the largest gain on this week's chart. With this, "ARIRANG" has now spent a total of 13 weeks in the Billboard 200's Top 10, breaking its own record for the longest Top 10 run by any Korean artist's album. This week, "ARIRANG" sold roughly 40,000 units, up 62% from the previous week, a jump attributed to the release of a special vinyl edition adding two tracks ("Voice Message: Love Song" and "NORMAL"), which drove sales. Billboard also credited BTS's performance of "Dynamite" at the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup Final halftime show on July 19 (local time) as a positive factor in the album's rise. The globally broadcast stage drew in new listeners and prompted longtime fans to revisit the album, the outlet explained. "NORMAL" Re-enters the Hot 100, Global Charts Climb Too The album track "NORMAL" re-entered Billboard's main songs chart, the Hot 100, at No. 33. The song first entered at No. 41 on the chart dated April 4 and held on for three weeks, then re-entered on the strength of its music video and Korean-language release on July 17. "NORMAL" reached its own peak of No. 4 on the Global 200 and No. 2 on Global (Excluding U.S.). The title track "SWIM" placed at No. 10 and No. 5 on those two charts, respectively. Along with "SWIM" and "NORMAL," six "ARIRANG" tracks — including "Body to Body," "2.0," "Hooligan," and "FYA" — spent 18 consecutive weeks on the Global (Excluding U.S.) chart. The new song "Come Over" re-entered that chart at No. 133, and "Dynamite" at No. 140. The results stand out on component charts too. "NORMAL" took No. 1 on Digital Song Sales, while "ARIRANG" rose 17 places from the previous week to No. 2 on Vinyl Albums, reached No. 3 on Top Album Sales (up nine places), and No. 28 on Top Streaming Albums (up ten places). No. 3 in France, Too — the World Tour Effect Its overseas chart results continued as well. On the French Music Association (SNEP) "Top Albums" chart (week of July 24), "ARIRANG" rose 13 places from the previous week to No. 3. The result came right after the "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN PARIS" concerts held July 17–18 at the Stade de France in Paris, showing the tour and chart performance moving in tandem. The North American Tour Continues BTS continues its world tour on August 1–2 at MetLife Stadium in New York, USA. Moving from Paris to North America, the group carries "ARIRANG" further along its global journey. With the album still showing staying power across the charts four months after release, attention turns to how it performs through a second half of the year filled with tour dates.

BTS Won't Submit to the 2027 Grammys — Divided Views on the New "Best Asian Pop" Category

BTS has announced it will not submit music for next year's Grammy Awards. Coming amid the debate over the Grammys' newly created "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category, the decision is being read as a de facto objection. Here's a rundown of what happened. What BTS Said On July 29, all seven BTS members posted an identical message to their Instagram Stories: that they had decided not to submit to the Grammys this year. The members added that they hope music can be heard and loved for its own sake rather than being distinguished by region or language, and thanked ARMY and everyone who is always by their side. In the message, BTS did not directly mention a "boycott" or any specific category. Still, the line pointing to distinction "by region and language" is read as aimed at the newly created Asian pop category. Their agency, HYBE, drew a line by clarifying that this is not a company-wide, blanket boycott. What New Category Was Created The trigger was a new category announced in June by the Recording Academy, which presents the Grammys. The Academy said it would add five categories, including "Best Asian Pop Music Performance," starting with the 2027 ceremony. The category covers popular music that originated in or is widely recognized across Asian markets, such as K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop. A song must make meaningful use of one or more Asian languages, and songs sung entirely in English are excluded. The Academy explained that it created the award in recognition of Asian pop's growing influence on the global music industry. "Recognition" or "Separation"? Split Views Reactions to the new category divided sharply. Those who view it positively call it official recognition of Asian pop's global impact. There was also hope that it could open new opportunities for K-pop artists who had yet to win at the Grammys. Indeed, right after the category was created, several outlets named BTS as a leading contender for it. Those who raise concerns , on the other hand, criticize grouping the distinct musics of Korea, Japan, and China within a single "Asian" fence of region and language as a Western pop-centric view. The point is that cordoning off Asian artists — who already lead the global pop market — into a separate category could actually distance them from the main, all-genre categories. Concerns were also raised that the criterion excluding English-language songs could work against certain works. Rather than declaring either side right, it's more accurate to see this as a matter where two readings — "inclusion" and "separation" — are locked in tension. BTS's decision has, in effect, amplified that debate. BTS and the Grammys: The History So Far BTS was the first K-pop act ever nominated at the Grammys. They were first nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with "Dynamite" at the 2021 ceremony, earned another nod with "Butter" the following year, and in 2023 landed three nominations — setting the record for the most by a Korean act. Across their career they've received five nominations, but have yet to win. The Grammys, for their part, have long faced criticism for being conservative toward non-white artists. At the 68th ceremony this past February, "Golden," from the soundtrack of "KPop Demon Hunters" — counted among last year's biggest hits — won only one category, Best Song Written for Visual Media, while BLACKPINK Rosé's "APT." was nominated but did not win. What Remains to Watch BTS did not entirely close the door on future participation with this decision; its stance is that it won't submit for this particular cycle. Its fifth studio album "ARIRANG," which posted strong results on Billboard's main album chart (Billboard 200) and singles chart (Hot 100) right after its March release, was eligible for nomination — but the group chose not to submit it at all. With a group as globally influential as BTS taking a stance, the debate over the "Best Asian Pop" category looks set to continue in the music world for some time.